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Aluminum Welding Question

I have not tried something like this, nor have i done much aluminum welding. I am working on getting a BUNCH of stuff to practice on. Do have a few extra cast aluminum manifolds to practice on, just need to get some material to weld to it.

Thank you for your input.
Scott

EDIT: will be using a tig welder. 4043 filler rod work ok for this? It seems to be the most common filler rod out there.

I would suggest you do a search in this forum for aluminum welding as there is a plethora of information already posted.
It may get you more response if you post what machine, gas, polarity etc. that you are using.
It sounds like you already have some knowledge of the process if you are practicing. Maybe some pictures of your efforts if you have that capability.

Without seeing your setup, I would have a step on the OD of your bungs...that way they would drop in the holes in the manifold and you could weld around the perimeter. Sort of a positive locator for them.

I'd practice a few on a spare manifold and see what happens.

I'd say the intake runners are about 1/8" wall...I'd start with 170-180 amps and go from there.

The thing with welding 6061 to cast is clean clean clean. Some even have used just the TIG torch on a lower heat setting and going over the cast area to lift the impurities out and then brushing with a stainless brush and acetone(you will see the black specs rise as you go over with the torch). Your practice pieces looks as if you did not clean them. As all aluminum welds, brush with a dedicated to aluminum stainless brush and wipe with acetone. Also wipe the filler rod down with acetone. As for filler you might want to try 5356 filler. I would suggest a lot more practice before attempting your manifold project. Also I do not know what your post flow is but you might want to see if your post flow time can be increased. This will prevent your tungsten from burning up. Some also have heated the manifold in an oven to about 300 degrees before welding.
T.J.

By looking at the samples you have given you are not ready to weld on a fuel system. Sorry

Comments about your welds, vary inconsistent travel speed.

Here is my description of the process I go through when welding aluminum.
First all parts clean and free of oil dirt burrs ( cast surface is heated gently and scrubbed with a stainless steel brush)

Parts are placed clamped is better, strike an arc develop the puddle to about 2/3 the size I want the finished weld. you may need to dab a small amount of filler at this point just to get the parent metals to join. I would do this step on opposite sides of each bung.
During this time the part is preheating go back to a point 90deg off one of your tacks and establish another puddle develop it to full size by adding filler and heat at this point things happen real fast you start the torch traveling and you start adding filler. Travel speed is going to be in the 2-4 inch per minute range. Dabbing the filler in at a rate of two dabs per second.

Like I said things happen fasten fast. I am constantly adjusting the amps with my foot, my foot doing the majority of the work to control how wide the weld is. All this time you also have to keep the tungsten at a constant distance from the work and at the appropriate angle to the joint (sometimes this means pointing it more to one parent material than the other).

Going around a small item like 1/2"-1" dia. is one of the hardest welds you can make in that you are working with a vary small part that gets overheated vary easy.

You are not ready sorry do some more practice and get back to us with more pictures